Mix Master

ERDEM MORALIOGLU’S SUPERPOWER is breathing new life into Victorian flourishes. His brocade jackets are somehow edgy, his floral gowns strangely subversive. This season, the Canadian-born designer was again able to reference the past while also providing commentary on today’s politics—all in the context of tailored cropped jackets, fine-lace details and sleek skirting. Presented under the watchful gaze of kings and queens in London’s National Portrait Gallery, the spring/summer 2019 collection was inspired by pioneers of the city’s queer scene: two men who in 1870 fought for the right to dress as women. “Fashions change, attitudes come and go, but the courage of dressing to become what you are remains something powerful and primal,”

wrote Moralioglu in his show notes. These days, we can all use a reminder of that kind of bravery.